Corydalis sect. Dactylotuber in Flora of China @ efloras.org

16. Corydalis sect. Dactylotuber (Ruprecht) Popov in Schischkin, Fl. URSS. 7: 674. 1937.

指裂延胡索组 zhi lie yan hu suo zu

Capnites sect. Dactylotuber Ruprecht, Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint Pétersbourg, Sér. 7, 15(2): 58. 1869; Corydalis subsect. Elongatae Poellnitz.

Tuber/rootstock almost rounded to oblong, not hollow, usually branched below. Stems branched or not, lower part often underground, usually with 1-3 scales and 2-6 leaves. Leaves once to 3 × ternately compound (entire in Corydalis ludlowii); petiole vaginate at base. Racemes corymbose, few flowered; bracts usually entire. Capsule nutant from straight pedicel, obovoid, explosively dehiscent (except probably in C. gyrophylla and C. hepaticifolia, which might be erroneously placed in this section).

Thirteen species: C Asia from Sayan Mountains to NW North America, Caucasus to NW Turkey, China, Himalayas; nine species (seven endemic) in China.

The W Mongolian/S Siberian Corydalis pauciflora (Stephan ex Willdenow) Persoon (Syn. Pl. 2: 269. 1806) has been given for N Xinjiang (FRPS 32: 448. 1999). We have been unable to locate any Xinjiang material of this species, but the Altai occurrences in W Mongolia are geographically close. Corydalis pauciflora is easily distinguished from related species by its tall straight simple erect stem, more floriferous raceme (up to 10 flowers), larger bracts, larger sepals (ca. 2 × 2 mm), broader corolla, and much larger pouch or spurlet at the base of the lower petal.

We have not seen Corydalis pauciflora var. foliosa L. H. Zhou (Fl. Qinghai. 1: 508. 1997), described from E Qinghai.

1 Leaves uni- or trifoliolate (2)

+ Leaves more divided (5)

2 (1) Leaf simple. 81 C. ludlowii

+ Leaf with 3 entire leaflets (3)

3 (2) Peduncle erect in fruit; inner petals 9-13 mm. 82 C. hemidicentra

+ Peduncle arcuately recurved in fruit; inner petals 6-7 mm (4)

4 (3) Flowers sky-blue; tuber elongate, branched below. 80 C. hepaticifolia

+ Flowers pale pinkish blue; tuber rounded. 79 C. gyrophylla

5 (1) Limb of lower petal 5-9 mm wide, much broader than claw (6)

+ Limb of lower petal 3-4 mm wide, slightly broader than claw (8)

6 (6) Stems erect, simple. ..... C. pauciflora (see note above) (6)

+ Stems ascending, branched (7)

7 (6) Peduncle erect; fruiting pedicels erect; limb of lower petal subacute. 83 C. alaschanica

+ Peduncle arcuately recurved in fruit; limb of lower petal emarginate. 79 C. gyrophylla

8 (5) Stigma with 6 apical papillae; "lower petal obtuse, with small spur; spur of upper petal almost 2 × as long as lower petal" (NW Xinjiang). 84 C. pseudoalpestris

+ Stigma with 4 apical papillae; lower petal acute, straight or saccate, but not spurred; spur of upper petal 0.9-1.4 × as long as lower petal (9)

9 (8) Peduncle 3-8 cm, overtopping leaves. 85 C. hsiaowutaishanensis

+ Peduncle 0.5-3 cm, not overtopping leaves (10)

10 (9) Flowers yellow. 86 C. tianzhuensis

+ Flowers blue to purplish blue. 87 C. tangutica

Lower Taxa